Professor Ronnie R. Gipson Jr. publishing article in Mitchell Hamline Law Review

CARLISLE, PA—Professor Ronnie R. Gipson Jr., an aviation law expert, joined a respected Native American Law scholar to write “Turbulence Over Red Lake: An Emergency Landing Triggers a Jurisdictional Storm,” which explores the constitutional law, conflict of law, civil procedure, and other legal issues raised as Native American law and aviation law came into conflict during the following incident.

In October 2025, a private pilot made an emergency landing on Minnesota Highway 11 after experiencing engine trouble in his single-engine aircraft. In the following hours, the Red Lake Indian Tribe seized the aircraft for violating a 1978 resolution prohibiting the flight of aircraft over tribal reservation lands.

Gipson and Professor Alex Fay of the University of Tulsa (a Native American law expert) selected the Mitchell Hamline Law Review in Minnesota, which will publish the article in the fall 2026 volume, from among several publication offers. They made their choice based on the importance of the issues in contention to the Minnesota region, the Native American community, the Minnesota aviation community, and the Minnesota bar.

Ronnie R. Gipson Jr. is a Visiting Associate Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law. He earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law, and he holds a B.A. from Texas A & M University in Modern Languages (French). Professor Gipson’s scholarship sits at the intersection of aviation law and international economic policy and trade law. Professor Gipson’s current projects explore topical issues making headline news globally.